Great Harbor, it was called. 17th century Europeans settled Edgartown first, purchasing land from Wampanoag natives. Like medieval times, they clustered their homes and cultivated pastures at the outskirts of town.
Edgartown’s proximity to the heavily trafficked waters off Cape Cod, along with whaling, transformed the town. Tall square-rigged ships stood like skyscrapers in the harbor. Raucous men converged here to sail worldwide. Whale oil lit the streets of London. The oil boom generated immense wealth. Entrepreneurial whaling captains built the Federal and Greek Revival homes that give the village its old world charm today. Webster, Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau, and Longfellow visited to sojourn by the sea.
After work, a favorite of ours is the porch of the Harbor View where, at Starbuck’s Neck, you look out past the Edgartown Light and across the moonlit harbor to Chappy (the island of Chappaquidick, which is part of Edgartown but accessible only by ferry). A perfect moment to chill.